02 February 2023 , 13:17
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A sick dad who murdered his nine-week-old baby in a fit of rage at bath time has been sentenced to life in prison.
Leon Mathias, 34, killed his son Hunter after becoming angry with his crying.
The boy collapsed at his home in Stonegate Lane, Barnsley, after being taken upstairs for a bath by his father.
Hunter tragically died at Sheffield Children's Hospital after being injured on November 30, 2018.
Mathias, who was charged with murder in February 2021, will have to serve a minimum term of 16 years before he is considered for release, reports Yorkshire Live.
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Hunter Mathias was just nine weeks old when his father killed him (South Yorkshire Police / SWNS)Sentencing, Mrs Justice Lambert said: "In your frustration and irritation you shook him."
She added how during the trial the jury heard evidence that shaking a baby can be lethal, something Mathias had been told by a nurse.
Hunter suffered nerve damage from the shaking - he stopped breathing and lost consciousness. His circulation was affected and didn't recover until it was already too late.
"I'm sure that Hunter died of the effects of being shaken and being treated roughly by you," Mrs Justice Lambert said.
Hunter suffered bleeding on the brain, as well as bleeding on the back of his eyes. Hunter had also suffered areas of bruising - the judge recounted how Mathias had told the jury at trial that he had no explanation for these, but she had "no doubt" they had been inflicted by Mathias.
Considering the aggravating factors set out by counsel, Mrs Justice Lambert said Hunter "should've been safe in your arms" to Mathias as she discussed the particular relationship of trust between parent and child.
"Your behaviour was nothing short of grotesque", she added.
Secondly, Justice Lambert said Mathias "should have told the truth" about what had happened to staff at the hospital who were trying to save Hunter.
"Instead of trying to save your son by telling staff what had happened you chose to stay quiet," she said. "Your focus remained on your predicament and not Hunter's."
The court heard how Mathias's partner had told the nurse that Hunter had been smiling that morning and Mathias told her to "shut up".
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In mitigation, the judge accepted that the intention to cause serious harm "may have only been momentary", saying Mathias "snapped".
Similarly, Mrs Justice Lambert acknowledged Mathias's previous good character - he was described in character references as previously "kind and gentle" with a "loving relationship" towards Hunter and his partner.
However, she did not accept that Mathias having to live with having killed his own son was a mitigating factor, saying: "We must all live with the consequences of our actions. You have expressed no remorse throughout this process."
As she prepared to give sentence, Mrs Justice Lambert said Mathias had snapped for "no good reason other than that you had had a hard day at work".